Ruben Fernandez (Torn ACL in March) Back Behind Gate This Weekend
The following press release is from Honda HRC MXGP:
Full Team HRC contingent head to Switzerland
All three Team HRC riders – Tim Gajser, Ferruccio Zanchi and now Ruben Fernandez will be heading to Frauenfeld, Switzerland for the 17th round of this 2024 MXGP World Championship.
After a successful race in Sariego, Spain on Monday, it was decided that the tight and technical Frauenfeld circuit would be a perfect location for Fernandez to make his long-awaited return to the highest level of racing, after missing the entire season due to a leg injury sustained at the opening round in Argentina. Of course, expectations are low because it is never easy to line-up alongside the best riders in the world, but this step had to be taken sometime and with four rounds left to race, this was deemed the best option by the rider and the team.
- MXGP
- MX2 QualifyingLiveAugust 24 - 10:25 AM
- MXGP QualifyingLiveAugust 24 - 11:00 AM
- MX2 Race 1LiveAugust 25 - 7:00 AM
- MXGP Race 1LiveAugust 25 - 8:00 AM
- MX2 Race 1LiveAugust 25 - 10:00 AM
- MXGP Race 2LiveAugust 25 - 11:00 AM
He’ll join Gajser in the MXGP class, who returned to the podium last time out in Arnhem, Netherlands on the sandy circuit there. The Slovenian looked much more comfortable on the loose stuff and that has raised his confidence heading into another pivotal round of action, where he’ll be at a slight disadvantage due to him not having raced in Frauenfeld last year. Still, the #243 knows how important it is to keep putting in the best results possible and so will line-up with the expectations of victory on this Swiss terrain.
Last Saturday, Zanchi’s hopes of putting a top five result on Sunday were dashed as he was unable to finish the qualification race, and as such meant he had to line-up in last position. So now the Italian is determined to try and put that right and really finish this MX2 campaign strongly. All four of the remaining rounds will be new to him, but shouldn’t cause him any extra problems as he has shown he is quick to adapt to new situations and put his head down when he needs to.
Each of the three Team HRC riders will have different goals for the weekend, which means everyone involved will have to be on their toes to try and make sure they can accomplish them, but that isn’t a new thing for the team members as they approach round 17, and so they full expect Switzerland to be a very successful weekend.
Tim Gajser
“Arnhem was a pretty solid weekend of racing, and one that gives me a bit more confidence going forward. I still lead the championship, and my riding was a lot better in the sand this time around so that is good progress and something that I can take into this weekend. I didn’t line-up here last year, so I don’t have recent experience of this Frauenfeld circuit, but I kind of know what to expect and I believe it should be a track that I can do well on.”
Ruben Fernandez
“I am very excited to be back amongst the paddock, and going racing again in the MXGP class. It has been a long road to get here, and even with this, I know the journey isn’t over, but this is another important step in my recovery process, so that eventually I can get back to winning GPs. Now though, the goal is much lower and I just want to get through the weekend without any incidents, get the first-race nerves out of the way and just get used to being back on the start-gate with these guys. A big thank you to all the people who’ve helped me get back to this point and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the races once again.”
Ferruccio Zanchi
“I was really excited to go racing in Arnhem last weekend, but things didn’t go to plan, which was a shame, but also something you had to deal with as a rider. I still felt I put in a good effort, but I want to be higher up the field and so now that is over and I start fresh in Switzerland. I didn’t race here in 2023 so it will be a new challenge for me, but I’m excited for it and I want to go out there and show everyone my real level of performance.”
Marcus Pereira de Freitas,HRC General Manager – MXGP
“It is great to have all three riders back with the team for this weekend and ready to head to Switzerland. Of course, all three are in different stages, but we will make sure that they are each getting what they need to get through the racing. Tim is in a big championship fight, and didn’t race here last year, so we need to make sure he gets up to speed on this circuit straight away. We don’t think that’ll be a problem though, and he’s highly motivated, so we fully expect him to be challenging for wins.
For Ferro, we want him to just keep putting in those good rides every time he lines up. This is the most he’s ever raced in a year, so it is all good learning for him and he’s actually looking strong so we all believe these last four rounds will be good for him.
And then for Ruben, this is obviously his return to action in the MXGPs, so the goals are much lower and we will making sure he just gets through safe and sound. It has been almost six months since he last raced a world championship round, which is a very long time to be out, so he just needs to take it slow and steady and build up to where he was before. Overall though, it should be a very productive round for everyone in Team HRC.”
